Holiday Train Rides Near Boston for Kids, 2026
Edaville, the Polar Express on Cape Cod, Santa trains in New Hampshire and a trolley in Maine: dates, prices and booking tips for the 2026 season.
- Carver
- Buzzards Bay
- Lincoln
- North Conway
- Woburn
There is no holiday train that leaves from Boston itself, so a train day with kids means a drive. The good news is that the options sit at a nice range of distances and budgets: a weekend evening of lights and rides in Carver, a ninety-minute “North Pole” journey on Cape Cod, daytime Santa trains in the New Hampshire mountains, and a very affordable trolley ride in southern Maine.
This guide pulls together what each operator has published for the 2026 season as of November 9. Where something has not been announced, we say so rather than guess. Train tickets are the kind of thing that sells out, so the dates and booking notes matter as much as the prices.
At a glance
| Ride | Where | 2026 dates | Price (per person) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edaville Winter Wonderland | Carver, MA | Weekends, Nov 27 to Dec 27 | $38 general admission; $68 First-Class Pajama Express; under 2 free |
| The Polar Express Train Ride | Buzzards Bay, MA | Select nights from Nov 20 (see below) | Kids 3-12 from $44-$104; adults from $54-$114 |
| Santa Express | Lincoln, NH | Nov 27 to Dec 23 | Not listed on the schedule page |
| Santa’s Holiday Special / Snow Train | North Conway, NH | Dates not yet published on the main page | From $27 |
| Christmas Prelude Trolley Rides | Kennebunkport, ME | Dec 11-13 confirmed; Dec 4-6 to recheck | $15 |
Edaville Winter Wonderland (Carver, MA)
About an hour south of Boston, Edaville turns its theme park into a lights-and-trains festival on weekends from November 27 to December 27, 2026, closed December 25. Hours differ by day: Fridays 4 to 9 pm, Saturdays 2 to 9 pm and Sundays 3 to 7:30 pm. The park is at 5 Pine Street, Carver.
General admission is $38 per person with fees included, and children under 2 are free. The ticket covers the festival activities during open hours, including unlimited rides on the Holiday Express train and photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Food, drinks and ticketed special events cost extra.
There is also a First-Class Pajama Express at $68 per person, which adds a reserved ride at a time you choose, hot chocolate, a chocolate bar and a winter beanie. Regular Holiday Express rides are first come, first served, so if your kids care most about the train, arriving early matters more than which night you pick.
Two things Edaville does not publish on its page: parking details and a weather or refund policy. The site says “rain, shine or snow,” but if you are worried about a forecast, call 508-866-8190 before you buy. Edaville names this event Winter Wonderland, and its page does not describe a Polar Express storyline, so do not promise your kids the book.
The Polar Express Train Ride (Buzzards Bay, MA)
If you want the story, the Cape Cod Central Railroad runs a licensed Polar Express ride from 70 Main Street, Buzzards Bay, a bit over an hour south of Boston. The round trip takes about an hour and a half.
Dates are the confusing part. The railroad’s page confirms 2026 tickets are on sale and names opening weekend, November 20 to 22, with its own lower price, but it does not list the full calendar of nights. Reports of an end date around December 23 come from a third-party rail site, not the railroad, so treat the booking calendar as the source of truth.
Published fares are per person, and the child price is listed first:
- Standard, opening weekend: matinee $44 child / $54 adult; regular $59 / $69
- Standard, regular dates: matinee $54 / $64; regular $69 / $79
- First Class: matinee $89 / $99; regular $104 / $114
- Table packages: Deluxe 4-top $390 to $440 per table; Premium 4-top $435 to $535; Premium 6-top $695 to $795
Children are ages 3 to 12, adults are 13 and up, and babes-in-arms under 3 are $10. Standard Class has stairs and cannot accommodate wheelchairs; the railroad points wheelchair users to First Class or the Deluxe cars.
Santa Express (Lincoln, NH)
In the White Mountains, the Granite State Scenic Railway (the former Hobo Railroad) runs 60-minute Santa trains from 64 Railroad Street, Lincoln, from November 27 to December 23. Per the railroad’s schedule:
- Friday, November 27: noon and 2 pm
- Fridays in December: 2 pm
- Saturdays and Sundays: noon and 2 pm
- Tuesday, December 22 and Wednesday, December 23: 2 pm
Seat tiers run from Coach benches (candy cane and bell) to First Class tables, Crown Class chairs and tables for four, and Premier couch seating, which adds a cookie, hot chocolate and a wristband for first access to Santa photos. The schedule page does not list prices, so check the ticket page. Advance reservations are required, pets are not allowed, and trains run in all weather. For boarding assistance, call 603-745-2135 ahead of time.
Santa’s Holiday Special and Snow Train (North Conway, NH)
The Conway Scenic Railroad advertises Santa’s Holiday Special, a daylight weekend excursion of about one hour, and a roughly one-hour Snow Train, both from its North Conway depot at 38 Norcross Circle, with tickets from $27. As of this writing, the main page does not give 2026 dates. Use the site’s date search or call 603-356-5251. Recent seasons have run late November through December weekends, but do not plan around that until the railroad posts its calendar.
Christmas Prelude Trolley Rides (Kennebunkport, ME)
Not a train, but close enough for a small trolley fan. The Seashore Trolley Museum lists decorated trolley rides at 195 Log Cabin Road in Kennebunkport, 9:30 am to 5:30 pm, for $15 per person, with the last ride leaving the Visitors Center at 5 pm. We could confirm December 11-13, 2026 and the $15 fee on a local chamber of commerce listing. The December 4-6 weekend is on our list from the museum’s page, but we could not recheck it, so confirm the dates and any Santa visits and lap-child policy with the museum at (207) 967-2800 or events@trolleymuseum.org.
A local one to watch: Woburn
A listing for a “Jolly Jingle Express” Santa ride from Anderson Station in Woburn, hosted by the Wakefield Music Boosters, shows a 70-minute ride on December 13, 2026, but the date is marked “to be confirmed” in what we found. We could not verify tickets or prices, so check the organizers before planning around it.
Booking tips that apply everywhere
- Book as soon as dates post. Polar-style rides and Santa trains are the first holiday tickets to sell out.
- Match the time to the nap. A 90-minute ride with a toddler is a very different outing than a 60-minute one. Matinee fares are cheaper on the Polar Express too.
- Read the refund line before you pay. Cape Cod’s tickets are nonrefundable; Edaville’s page is silent. Ask.
- Ask about accessibility early. Cape Cod and Granite State both publish accessibility contact information.
- Dress for the platform. Boarding areas and outdoor festival grounds are outside in December, even when the ride itself is not.
Dates, prices and policies change. Most of the above comes from the operators’ own pages as of November 9, 2026, and the links under each ride go to the booking source.
Sources
- Edaville Family Theme Parkedaville.com
- Cape Cod Central Railroad: The Polar Express Train Ridecapetrain.com
- Granite State Scenic Railway: Santa Expressgsscenic.com
- Conway Scenic Railroadconwayscenic.com
- Seashore Trolley Museum: Christmas Preludetrolleymuseum.org
Details such as dates, hours and prices come from the sources above and can change. Check with the organizer before you go.
